Rail-joint.



PATENI'ED DEC. 5, 1905. P. MBLAUN. RAIL JOINT.

ATI ILED PATENTED DBO. 5,1905.

P. MELAUN. RAIL JOINT.

No. 806,273. I PATENTED DEC. 5, 1 905.

-- F. MELAUN.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.22,1901. I

3 SHEETS-SHEET 8.

fwaz'zz'or franz/ flfiziaza,

FRANZ MELAU'N, or onARLoTTENBURG, GERMANY.

" R IL-49W.-

' on I Application filed March 22, 1,901. SeriaPNo. 52,364.

Patented Dec. 5, 1905.

To all whom it may concerns Be it known that I, FRANZ MELAUN, englneer, a sub ect of the King of Prussia, German Emperor, residing at 24 Fasauenstrasse,

5 Charlottenburg, near Berlin, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints, of which the following is a specification.

In rail-joints heretofore known where'the IO side fish-plates are pressed wedge like between head and foot of the rail by means of the fishplate bolts the disadvantage exists that the ground surfaces of the fish-plates are struck I under the rail-heads, and the heads on both 5 rail ends are hammered, flat, so that on the rail-joint a mold-like cavity appears in the surface. This disadvantage is removed by the'present invention. 7

The feature of this invention consists in that on both rail ends the heads are cut out for a certain length in their entire width and the gap formed in the surface is filled out by the head of an intermediate rail consisting of y one head fish-plate, whereby the wheels are 5 received only by the surface of this intermediate rail and are conveyed on this surface over the actual rail-joint without touching the rail ends.

The new joint is applicable to any form of rails, and several forms are illustrated on the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, Figures 1 to 5 show one of the forms of the joint, Fig. 1 being a section through line L M of Fig. 4, Fig. 2 a section through line N O of Fig. 4, Fig. 3 a side View of the rail ends, (where, on account of a better illustration, the fish-plate has been dispensed with,) Fig. 4: a side view with the head fishplate, and Fig. 5 a plan View of both rail ends with a head fish-plate set in. Figs. 6 to 10 show a modification, Fig. 6 being a section through line R S in Fig. 9, Fig. 7 a section through line T U in Fig. 9, Fig. 8 a side View of the rail ends without fish-plate, Fig. 9 a

side view with the head fish-plate, and Fig. 10"a plan View of both rail ends with a head fish-plate setin.

In Figs. 1, 2, 6, and 7 the fish-plate 7c is shown as not yet firmly drawn to position.

5 When firmly drawn to position, the fish-plate lies firmly against the upper and lower oblique surfaces of the rails.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 5, on the rail ends a and c the bearing-heads are cut off for a certain length. in their entire width. They are also cut off for acertain further length,

as far as'tothe middle of the bearing-surface, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5. Fish'plate f is made in the form of .a head fish-plate, and corresponding to that part out out in the bear- 6O ing-surface in the form of steps its head is shaped so that the latters projecting central portion engages in the entire width of the bearing-surface. The remaining portion of the fish-plates head is placed on either side 5 with vertical faces against those parts of the rail-heads cut off as far as to the middle. In this manner the gap out inthe bearing-surface in the form of steps is filled out by the head of the one fish-plate f. This head fish- 7 plate'frests only on the upper surfaces of the rail-feet. Between the lateral projection of the fish-plate head g and those portions of the rails lying beneath it a'space is left. The inner fish-plate his. in the form of an ordinary lateral fish-plate, and it can be tightened by means of the fish-bolts until it is made to lie contiguous to' the railsabove and below.

The vertical position of the fish-plate head .on the vertical surfaces of the rail endsoprevents an inward edging of the fish-plates f. In this form in consequence of the vertical position between rail-head and fish-plate headin the surface the rails are twice halved and lapped together with four half cross-joints. 5 The joint can also be formed without this rabbeting into two cross-joints through the entire width of the surface, whereby the head fishplate must then lie with vertical ground surfaces on suitable parts of the rail-stem in or- 9 der to be held in place, Figs. 6 to 10.

The technical effect of the present joint is as follows: In the present joint the disadvantages of prior joints are avoided, because the head fish-plates form an intermediate rail which rests only on the upper foot-surfaces of the rail ends and as to the rest is held in vertical position only by vertical ground surfaces.

The wheels are received entirely by the surface of the intermediate rail and conveyed only on this surface over the joint-that is, over the critical pointwithout touching the rail ends. The wheel pressure exercised on the fish-plate surface will be transmitted immediately only upon the upper foot-sur- 5 faces of the rail ends. Therefore there occurs under the wheels a simultaneous springing of both rail ends without allowing an anvil 'effeet. Where the fish-plate is lies under the rail-head, the ground surfaces of thisfish- I10 2 seems in the tread and is supported at no place with the lateral extension of its head by the rail, but only rests on the upper foot-surface of the rail, and for the remaining parts is kept in its position only by vertical supportingsurfaces.

Signed at Berlin this 11th day of March, 1901.

FRANZ MELAUN. Witnesses:

WOLDEMAR HAUPT, HENRY HASPER. 

